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Thursday, April 23, 2015

Barkbox April 2015 "Fitness" Small Dog Box Review and Free Box Offer

Barkbox is one of our favorite dog boxes although there are a couple new ones that have given them a run for their money, I'm not going to lie. Barkbox is so huge now that they are making their own toys and while that is super fun, they're not exactly prime quality. Yet.

This is the April 2015 Small Dog box. Not every box is the same but there are usually a few items that make it into every box each month. Usually the commissioned "Especially for Barkbox" toys. I've always gotten a good variety in my boxes. A nice mix of toys and treats. I'm not really big on accessory type things like dog bowls or eye washes but they do occasionally appear. If you really want accessories, Petbox sends all sorts of stuff.

The April box is themed "Fitness" in preparation for those Spring sundresses and muscle tees, I suppose. Of course the theme is for us, the parents, not for the dogs and if Barkbox does one thing exceptionally well, it's finding a theme and sticking to it. Somebody over there is a genius.

What You Get: Every month you will receive a box in the mail with four or more carefully selected products and presents for your dog – anything from toys, bones and all-natural treats to hygiene products and innovative new gadgets!

Fabdog Boxing Gloves- So I have to say that these might be one of the most perfect toys for Bugsy. All dogs have personality and they are not the same. I have two rat terriers. Of the two, Bugsy is the toy monster and Dexter is all about the treats. If there is a good toy, Bugsy won't even notice a treat but Dexter will run from half way across the house to get that piece of rice that just fell out of your burrito.
These boxing gloves probably exploded Bugsy's brain. It's TWO toys in one. He has a "thing" where he likes to have all his toys in his mouth at the same time. He's a rat terrier. His mouth is not that big so it's never going to happen. But he will leapfrog his favorite toys all the way to his bed (as opposed to taking one over, dropping it and then going back for the other). It usually takes awhile but he has a blast doing it.
This toy means allthetoys come at the same time! One glove never gets left behind. I looked over at him yesterday and he was burrowed into his bed curled around his new boxing gloves. I tried so hard to take a picture without waking him up but the second he heard the focusing beep he woke up, looked at his toy, grabbed them and ran off. /sigh It would have been the cutest picture ever.
Value: $14

JW Pet Muscle Man Squeaker- This toy took a backseat to the boxing gloves but he'll come around. He loves squeaky ball-shaped toys. His prey drive is ridiculous and he will chase balls for hours or until your arm falls off.
Value: $4

Etta Says Elk Chew- I gotta hand it to Barkbox for sending out unique protein sources. I don't like these Etta Says sticks because they're crumbly and hard to break in half (and they feel like "filler").
Value: $3

Green Bark Gummies Health and Vitality- These are also soft chewy treats, made with duck and chia seeds. These did not go over as well as the Peanut Butter treats but while Bugsy turned up his nose in order to play, Dexter snarfed them. As usual.
Value: $6

Nootie Peanut Butter Pleasers- Dexter, my little gray rat, did all his tricks in a row once he got a whiff of these. I try not to reward that but he's so adorable sometimes I give him treats just because he's cute. These are soft and I wouldn't recommend them for pockets or training treats (they take too long to chew) but they are great rewards for adorableness.
Value: $7

VERDICT: Barkbox always sends nice big bags of treats which I appreciate. I do love the themes and I love the toys even if they are less durable than bigger name brands. I have destructive dogs to begin with and I've probably spent half their
lives on my knees picking up fluff. It's just one of those things you do as a dog mom to make your dogs happy.

I've been subscribed for almost a year at this point and have been so consistently happy with my boxes. Obviously, or I wouldn't still be subscribed. Just keep in mind that if you have a picky dog, a dog box like this won't be as beneficial. I'm lucky because I have two dogs with entirely different likes and dislikes so everything in every box always gets put to good use. There's only ever been one box where I felt I didn't get my money's worth and with nearly a year under my belt that's a very, very good track record.

Oh! And if you use Ebates, don't forget to activate it because you'll get $3 in cashback!

2 comments:

I picked up a second sub for this month and I got the exact same box! (which was totally different from the first box) I wonder if I accidentally put the wrong size? I agree, those gloves are adorable. I kind of don't want to give it to the dogs though; it's too cute. I suppose it would be hilarious to watch Pebbles drag something bigger than her across the room though...

Getting Pebbles on video, tripping over herself with them would be more cute than the gloves by themselves... Just sayin. Then you could post it and I could watch it and giggle. Corgis are so cute. My husband showed me a video of a Corgi puppy yesterday and then asked me if I was really sure I didn't want another puppy... >.<